# Could We Build Massive Pyramids Today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789 "2015-01-14T03:41:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/1 "2015-01-14T03:41:32Z")
I was just wondering, actually for some time now in fact. Given our current state of technology, science, math, architecture–heck, just the modern machines we use to build things (cranes, trucks, _ **etc** _.)– **could we build the big Egyptian pyramids today?** Interesting question. Because I know our modern machines are unable lift above a certain weight. So could we do it? And by all means, be creative in your answer. What would be required to accomplish such a feat? And could we afford it too, for that matter. :):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/2 "2015-01-14T03:51:08Z")
Absolutely, although we’d probably take the easier route and just make it from concrete. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/3 "2015-01-14T03:53:34Z")
I don’t really understand the question. Being that they were built by hand 3000 years ago how could we possibly \*not \*be able to today? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/4 "2015-01-14T03:55:55Z")
Well, of course. Even if our modern technology failed at the task (which I doubt), we could always revert to their methods : flinging raw human misery and suffering at the problem until it is solved. Seriously though, it’d be much, \*much \*easier to pull a 2 ton block of limestone up a snaking ramp with a Caterpillar than by means of sleds, wooden rollers and whipping people. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/5 "2015-01-14T04:09:48Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > Absolutely, although we’d probably take the easier route and just make it from concrete. Styrofoam. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/6 "2015-01-14T04:21:40Z")
If by “we,” you mean humans, yes. If by “build,” you mean marshall the resources and actually construct a reasonable replica of the Great Pyramid, no. A 2012 estimate puts the cost at $5 billion. Which government or corporation could propose such a boondoggle and not have its leadership kicked to the curb? Even a private philanthropist couldn’t realistically do it because of the intense criticism s/he’d receive for not spending it on something more worthwhile. [http://m.livescience.com/18589-cost-build-great-pyramid-today.html](http://m.livescience.com/18589-cost-build-great-pyramid-today.html) ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/7 "2015-01-14T04:33:56Z")
Wait. I might want to change my answer. Apparently, the new World Trade Center was only $4 billion. So, maybe Gates or Zuckerberg could get away with it as a, “Heritage Gift to Mankind,” or some nonsense. Now I want someone to do it. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/8 "2015-01-14T04:34:57Z")
Surely there are dams more massive than the pyramids? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/9 "2015-01-14T04:39:38Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > Wait. I might want to change my answer. Apparently, the new World Trade Center was only $4 billion. So, maybe Gates or Zuckerberg could get away with it as a, “Heritage Gift to Mankind,” or some nonsense. > > Now I want someone to do it. I’d rather see a Statue of Colossus straddling the Straight of Gibraltar. That’d be an engineering feat to show up the ancients. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/10 "2015-01-14T04:42:25Z")
The heaviest stones used in the Great Pyramid (the ones in the base) weigh about ten tones. There are also some granite slabs in the interior - the heaviest of these weigh around fifty tons. A normal construction crane can lift up to eighteen tons. So the stone blocks would be no problem. There are specialty cranes that can lift heavier weights. One German crane can lift up to 1200 tons. So those granite slabs could be lifted into place if needed. But in reality, the blocks wouldn’t be lifted into place. The normal procedure (and the one the Egyptians used) is to move them on the ground. Even a normal heavy-duty pickup truck can pull over ten tons. A ballast tractor can pull objects weighing over a hundred tons. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/11 "2015-01-14T04:56:01Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > …Which government or corporation could propose such a boondoggle and not have its leadership kicked to the curb?.. North Korea maybe. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/12 "2015-01-14T06:48:09Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Surely there are dams more massive than the pyramids? Three Gorges Dam weighs 9 times what the Great Pyramid does. The Pyramids are impressive engineering for their time. By today’s standards they’d be a large project. By weight, height, volume or just about any other characteristic of a building the Great Pyramids records have already been beaten. I think the only thing the Great Pyramid can hold onto is the largest structure with the least usable interior space. The only hurdle to building a Great Pyramid today is convincing someone to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/13 "2015-01-14T12:41:57Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > North Korea maybe. And the price would fall dramatically; they wouldn’t be paying union wages. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Milton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@Mr.Milton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Milton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/14 "2015-01-14T13:01:29Z")
Apparently North Korea did just that: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong\_Hotel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel) Despite the fact that you can see it and it is a dominating visual feature of the skyline in Pyongyang, officially it doesn’t exist: I heard that the official guides/minders won’t (aren’t allowed to) answer any questions about “What is that big pointed building over there?” ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/15 "2015-01-14T13:34:35Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > A 2012 estimate puts the cost at $5 billion. Which government or corporation could propose such a boondoggle and not have its leadership kicked to the curb? On the modern scale of boondoggle costs, $5B is now more or less chump change . ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/16 "2015-01-14T13:36:59Z")
in the US, I doubt a project such as this would get the permits required. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/17 "2015-01-14T13:43:07Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > On the modern scale of boondoggle costs, $5B is now more or less chump change . Indeed. Try $8-14 billion, depending on how you measure it… > **[Big Dig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig)** > > The Big Dig was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the then elevated Central Artery of Interstate 93 that cut across Boston into the O'Neill Tunnel and built the Ted Williams Tunnel to extend Interstate 90 to Logan International Airport. Those two projects were the origin of the official name, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project). Additionally, the project constructed the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge over the Charles River, created the Rose Kennedy Greenway in the space vacated by t... ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/18 "2015-01-14T13:43:40Z")
It’s like Mt Rushmore. The cost today would be prohibitive. OSHA rules would also make it impossible. The original workers hung by ropes while they worked. That wouldn’t fly today. Finally the environmental issues. You want to do what to a beautiful mountain? Pyramids would have similar issues. Where would all that limestone block come from? OSHA would be a nightmare on a project like this. There’d be no more whipping of harnessed workers or replacing squashed workers with new blood. Workers Comp premiums would bankrupt the investors. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/19 "2015-01-14T14:31:19Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > Absolutely, although we’d probably take the easier route and just make it from concrete. Or we could make a steel superstructure with a stone skin on top; there’s no reason we have to duplicate the construction methods of the ancient Egyptians. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789/20 "2015-01-14T14:41:19Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Well, of course. Even if our modern technology failed at the task (which I doubt), we could always revert to their methods : flinging raw human misery and suffering at the problem until it is solved. > > Seriously though, it’d be much, \*much \*easier to pull a 2 ton block of limestone up a snaking ramp with a Caterpillar than by means of sleds, wooden rollers and whipping people. It’s difficult to say how much if any “raw human misery and suffering” was involved in the construction of the pyramids. The notion that they were built by slaves now seems to be somewhat of a myth ([here’s one cite](http://news.discovery.com/history/ancient-egypt/pyramids-tombs-giza-egypt.htm)), though AFAIK this doesn’t rule out slave labor being involved in at least some construction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-build-massive-pyramids-today/709789.md?page=2)